Yemisi Izuora
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has instructed all the passports offices across the country to give priorities to the aged an nursing mothers while attending to matters relatating to issurance of passport with immidiate effect.
He gave the order on Wednesday during an impromptu visit to the Headquarters NIS Passport Data processing Centre and Passport Office, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
In a statement by the National Public Relations Officer of the NIS, Deputy Comptroller Sunday James, the CGI was at the centers to ascertain level of compliance with directives given the passport officers nationwide on the Service enhanced service delivery process and procedures aimed at meeting the public expectation and satisfaction.
Babandede who visited the centres alongside the Assistant Comptroller General Overseeing the Passport and Other Travel Documents Directorate ACG TV Oyedeji and Comptroller FCT Command CIS Angela pcc, the Comptroller General Babandede directed the passport officers in the two office to brace up as the major passport offices in the nations capital city.
He said that with the crowd the centers are attracting, there was need for the officers to be more innovative to women with little children and priority must be to nursing mothers and the aged members of the society.
The Comptroller General directed also that all payments must be through banks and or online and charged officers to maintaining social and physical do.
He said all passport issues must be submitted by applicants themselves and directly to a dedicated desk that takes register, record and forward the processed file officially not through any third party.
Babandede admonished applicants to adhere strictly to the improved Service process and procedures to eliminate touting, extortion and other untoward acts in the passport offices.
He said all applications for passport facility must be paid for online and submitted by the applicants to a desk officer at the passport offices across the country for appropriate action to be taken.
